


Second Chances

by Faith280



Category: Red vs Blue
Genre: F/F, M/M, slight mention of child abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-07
Updated: 2019-06-24
Packaged: 2020-04-12 03:20:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 16,976
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19123516
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Faith280/pseuds/Faith280
Summary: Carolina has been busy fighting her battle with cancer. Along the way, she forms a deep friendship with Dr. Grey and starts a brand new life for herself.So why does Wash feel like he’s being left behind? He and Carolina will always be best friends...won’t they?





	1. Chapter 1

 

“Damn it Wash, you’re being so unreasonable.” Carolina loved Wash with all her heart, but right now, he was getting on her last nerve.

  
“Why is it unreasonable to worry about you? This isn’t the first time I’ve gotten the call that you’ve collapsed and were taken to the hospital. I just want you to stay safe.”

  
She groaned as she dramatically flopped back against the pillows on her hospital bed. Her battle with Ovarian cancer had been going on for three months now, and she was ready for it to be over. She was tired of being treated like an invalid, and wanted to get back to her old life.

  
“I know all that Wash, but I’m not a child. I should be able to go work out at the gym whenever I want to. Being stuck at your house is like a prison sentence.”

  
“If you don’t want to be treated like a child, then stop acting like one. I’m your friend, not your warden.” The prison comment kind of hurt his feelings.

  
“You see, this is exactly why I shouldn’t stay with you and your family. We’re going to end up enemies. Maybe I’m better off alone at my old apartment.”

  
She looked down as she said it. She was grateful for all that Wash and Tucker had gone through for her, but she didn’t fit in with his family. She felt like an outsider, she did better on her own.

  
There was a knock at the door. “Scussie, everybody, do you mind if we come in?” Dr. Grey didn’t wait for an answer, she just plowed her way in. She had her baby daughter, Maddie, with her. “Couldn’t help but overhear that you two have been having a liiitle friction lately.”

  
Carolina raised an eyebrow. “Oh yeah, eavesdropping again, are you?”

  
“Oh no, of course not…well, maybe a little. But this time it’s for a good cause.”

  
Carolina was more tolerant of Grey’s behavior than Wash was. Carolina spent so much of her recovery in the hospital, she got used to Dr. Grey’s unusual personality. Wash gave her a confused look. “What are you talking about?”

  
“I am such a genius, I can solve both of your problems.”

  
Carolina frowned. “How?”

  
“Carolina, you need work to do that keeps you out of trouble so Wash doesn’t worry about you. And you both need some space from each other so you don’t end up frienemies. I can help out with both.”

  
Carolina didn’t completely trust her. “What kind of work? I don’t end up a cadaver in your lab of torture or something like that.”

  
“Of course not silly.” She playfully punched her in the arm. “It’s volunteer work here in the hospital. Especially with cancer patients, we have several, including a few children, who aren’t faring as well as you are. Imagine how uplifting that would be to get motivational speeches from the Great Carolina herself.”

  
She didn’t look too sure. “No, I may want to pass on that. I’m not much of a people person, what could I really do to help them?”

  
Wash looked up. “Wait Carolina, when we were with the Freelancers, you were a great team leader. You knew how to get the job done and bring everyone back alive. Even with the Reds and Blues. You helped them find their confidence. You can totally do this.”

  
She still looked uncertain. Dr. Grey really needed her help. “C’mon, you need a job that won’t cause you to pass out, and these patients need a mentor. It’s perfect. I’ll even help you out with what to say and how to act. We’ll be teammates, won’t that be exciting?”

  
Carolina didn’t look thrilled. “Yay. What was the part that you could help Wash and I get some space from each other?

She didn’t think she wanted to know.

  
“Oh yeah, that’s my favorite part. We could become roomies! I only have the two bedrooms in my little apartment; I’m making plans to buy a larger house right beside the hospital. But the sofa pulls out into a bed, and it’s very comfy. I don’t even mind letting you have my bedroom. So, whadya’ say?”

  
Carolina’s head was spinning. “Uh, no thanks. I really can’t impose on you like that. I’ll be fine.”

  
“Nonsense, it’s not imposing. Maddie really likes you, you could be good company for her. I would say that she would gladly share her room with you, but she has a crib and I’m afraid you’d be awfully cramped.”

  
As on cue, the 1 and a ½ year old, clapped her hands together and gave Carolina a big smile. “Hi Aunt ‘Lina.” She waved to Carolina.

  
In spite of her bad mood, Carolina had to smile and wave back at her. “Hi there Maddie.”

  
With her blond, wavy hair, big innocent blue eyes, and easygoing personality, this kid was the best therapist in the world. It still angered Carolina that Maddie’s birth father beat her as badly as he did when she was a little baby. The investigation to find him was still ongoing. Carolina vowed to make him suffer when she returned to the Freelancer program.

  
Maddie reached out to her, and Carolina couldn’t resist holding her. Maddie leaned her head against her shoulder and wanted to be cuddled.

  
Dr. Grey got a little smile on her face. “You know, she’s gotten a lot better about not being shy around people, but she’ll rarely go to someone that quickly. She really loves you. I think you should also consider working with the children’s ward in the hospital.”

  
“No, I couldn’t…”

  
Wash interrupted. “Why not? You’re great with Chloe and David. And Simmons’ kids love you, especially Mira. You’d be good at it.” He reached over to give Maddie a little hug, she giggled and waved at him.

  
Dr. Grey reluctantly had to take her daughter from Carolina. As much as Maddie loved her Mom and always wanted to be with her, she got a little fussy about being taken away.

  
“I wish you would seriously consider staying at my place for a while. It might be good for you, and it certainly would be good for us. I don’t actually have many friends, it’s just been Maddie and I. We could always use some company.” Grey gave her her best pleading expression. “Please, please, please.”

  
Carolina didn’t want to laugh, she wanted to stay angry. Dr. Grey’s upbeat personality made it hard for her to stay mad. “Fine, I’ll stay for a few days, that’s it. But I will check out what volunteer work you have open.”  
“Greeeat! I knew you’d do it. Let me get this little one down for her nap, and we’ll get you settled into my place, then we begin to be besties! You’ll love it.”

  
Wash gave Carolina a funny look when Grey left. She was the only person on the planet with enough guts to order Carolina around and live to tell about it.

  
“This sounds like an interesting time in your life.” He couldn’t keep a straight face.

  
“Oh, shut up Wash. This is all your fault. If you weren’t so much of a buzzkill, I wouldn’t be in this mess with Miss Looneytunes.”

  
It was going to be a long few days for Carolina.  
  
  



	2. Chapter 2

 

“Alrightee, here’s home sweet home. Just  
drop your bag any old place there Carolina. My house is your house now…err apartment, whatever it is.”

  
Carolina tripped over one of Maddie’s toys. In fact, Maddie’s toys were strewn all over the place. She had a hard time finding a spot to set her duffel bag. Right away, she knew this living arrangement wouldn’t work out.

There was simply not enough room. She had to think of the way to break it to the doctor. She was strangely sensitive about these kinds of things.

  
“Ooppsie, Maddie is only starting to learn how to pick up her toys when she’s done playing with them. What do you say to Aunt ‘Lina, Maddie?”

  
Her face turned red with shame, she tried to hide against her Mom’s shoulder. “I’m sorry Aunt ‘Lina.” She looked like she would cry.

  
“It’s okay Maddie. That’s nothing to cry about.” Now Carolina felt guilty.

  
Dr. Grey kissed Maddie’s cheek. “Someone is getting crabby cause it’s past her nap time. Say night-night to ‘Lina, it’s nap time.”

  
Maddie got fussy and struggled against her Mom’s grip on her. “No, I wanna play with ‘Lina.”

  
Grey fought to keep her grip so Maddie wouldn’t fall and get hurt. She got her into the nursery before she tried to argue again.

  
“No no, I want Aunt ‘Lina!” She was crying again.

  
Carolina sighed and went to help Grey. “Hey Maddie, the sooner you take your nap, the sooner you can have your play time.”

  
Maddie stopped crying and thought about it. “Will you play with me and my favorite toys?”

  
Carolina didn’t know how to answer. She hadn’t expected sticking around here that long. This was supposed to be her chance to escape. Then Maddie looked up at her with those sad blue eyes, and Carolina couldn’t disappoint her.

  
“Sure, I’ll still be here when you wake up. We’ll have a nice play time together.”

  
Maddie’s tears stopped and a big smile lit up her face. She held out her arms for a hug. “‘K, I’ll take my nap. Night Aunt ‘Lina.”

  
Carolina hugged her back. “Night sweetie.” She and Grey slipped out of the room. It didn’t take long for Maddie to pass out.

Whew, that kid was a handful. How did Grey find the energy to keep up with her daughter every day? Damn it, now she couldn’t leave.

  
Dr. Grey was more quiet than usual. “How about I make us some coffee? I think I need some right about now.”

  
“Sure, that sounds great.” Carolina went to help her.

  
Grey gave her a funny look. “I take it Maddie kinda has you stuck here now?”

  
She looked confused. “What do you mean stuck here?”

  
“I mean, you were totally gonna bail, weren’t you? Don’t look so surprised, I’m really good at reading people. You’re not happy at being stuck here.”

  
“It’s not that I don’t want to be here, it’s just that there isn’t very much room.” Almost every inch was devoted to Maddie, that kid had every baby toy imaginable.

  
“Yeah I know, I’m sorry about that. Being a single mother with a full time job, it’s hard to control the clutter.”

  
“Gee Emily, you’ve really been busy taking care of Maddie.”

  
“Yeah, when she first came to stay, I don’t think she had been given many toys by her parents. She didn’t have a clear concept on what playtime was. I went out and bought her one of nearly every toy made, so she could see which ones she liked. I had to make it up to her for having such a lousy start in life.”

  
Carolina shook her head. She knew how good hearted the doctor was, but this was a little more than insane. Yet, Carolina couldn’t judge. If Maddie was her daughter, she’d probably go out and do the same.

  
“You know what’s cooI ‘Lina? I put the down payment on a house for sale that’s right across the street. I’m still close to work, and Maddie gets a lot more room to play in. It has four bedrooms and a nice fenced in yard. It’s perfect.”

  
Now Carolina knew why she put up with the tiny apartment. “That’s great, I’m happy for you. But you’re sure you don’t want me to leave? If you’re that worried about me, I’ll go back to Wash’s. We get mad at each other all the time, it doesn’t mean anything.”

  
There was a fleeting look of sadness in Grey’s eyes. She was always upbeat and positive, so why did Carolina think she looked so sad? She was surprisingly quiet. “What if I really didn’t want you to go?”

  
Now Carolina had no way out. “Then I guess I’ll stay.”

  
“Aww, that’s so great! You, me and Maddie can all hang out together. We can have a slumber party later. I feel a movie marathon coming on!”

  
Carolina groaned. “Great.” Despite the upbeat tone to her voice, Carolina knew Grey was lonely.

After everything she had done to save not herself between cancer and major injuries in the battlefield. Wash would have died from head trauma if it wasn’t for her.

  
Grey had nothing but a loyal friend to all the Reds and Blues at some point in time. Carolina owed it to her to help. Anyway, she knew all about being lonely herself. Maybe the two needed each other.

  
Dr. Grey’s pager went off. “Oopsie, this is kinda a minor emergency…”

  
“It’s okay, go ahead and go. I’ll be fine here with Maddie. I’m supposed to be resting anyway.”

  
Grey looked apologetic as she flew out the door. “When Maddie wakes up, there’s some fruit and yogurt for her snack. She’s a total angel, you’ll have no trouble with her.”

Carolina sipped at her coffee and looked around. How did she get herself into this mess that was Dr. Grey’s life?

  
She was tired looking at the toy clutter, so she spent the rest of the afternoon organizing them. It still looked cluttered, but it was better. Maddie would have an easier getting to the toys she wanted to play with.

  
She heard Maddie calling from her nursery. “Momma, I’m up.” She went to help her out of the crib. She got a big smile when she saw it was Carolina. “Hi!”

  
She kissed Maddie’s cheek as she lifted her out. “Hi. Your Mom’s away on an emergency. How about snack time then a playtime?”

  
“Yes please!”

  
She spent the rest of her day in a coloring contest with Maddie. Carolina wasn’t too proud to admit she lost to a toddler, she was always terrible with drawing. Maddie actually had some artistic ability. She hoped Grey would let her take some art lessons when she got older.

  
They were curled up together on the couch with a book when Grey wearily came through the door.

“My goodness, what’s wrong with these patients? All they worry about is ‘me me me’, they never care how badly they exhaust their doctor. I’m supposed to be the magician to fix everything.”

  
“Hi Momma, Aunt ‘Lina is helping me read.” It would be some time yet before she could, but Carolina knew she was enough to do it.

  
Grey got a little smile on her face. For as tough as Carolina always proclaimed to be, she looked freaking adorable with her daughter. It warmed her heart. Grey reached down to give Maddie a kiss. “That’s so great! I’m glad you two had a good day.”

  
Grey knew this family therapy would work wonders for Carolina. She would be in remission in no time with a better attitude.

  
All she needed was for Carolina to realize that.  



	3. Chapter 3

 

“Since you were so nice to babysit for me, I’ll make a special treat for dinner. A fresh tuna salad. Maddie loves vegetables, so I try to have salads a lot. The protein in the tuna will help you recover faster too. It’s a win-win for everyone.”

  
“I don’t know how I feel about canned tuna. I might just want a simple salad instead.”

  
“Oh no, I don’t waste my time with mediocre groceries” she bent down and rummaged through the refrigerator. She came up with a wrapped package of fish. “It’s the fresh stuff or nothing.”

  
“Wow, you really are an overachiever.”

  
Grey smiled. “I have many hobbies in my limited free time. Being an official foodie is one of them. Especially with having a young child around now, I like to keep cooking as healthy as possible. Sets a good example for the kiddo.”

  
Carolina watched as she expertly seasoned and pan fried the tuna in olive oil and fresh lemon. As the fish cooled, she chopped together a salad with all kinds of vegetables. Some Carolina couldn’t even identify. She liked to chat as she worked.

  
“I arranged for you to start work tomorrow morning. To start out, you’ll have three patients to visit with. The one, little Joey, is only eight years old. He’s been battling leukemia for most of his life. He goes into remission only to have it come back. But he’s a strong kid, and I’m not giving up on him.”

  
Carolina hated admitting that was her biggest fear. To fight her way to remission, only to have it return and ruin her life. “That’s so sad. But I still don’t know how I’m supposed to help to help them.” She didn’t like to admit she was nervous about it.

  
It was like Grey could read her mind. She smiled and gently elbowed her. “Don’t worry about. Make it up as you go along, you have a special energy to you that will rub off on them. Joey is already psyched to meet you. You’re like a super hero to him.”

  
That gave Carolina a lot to think about. Maybe she could pull this off after all.

  
“Alrighteee, I have plenty of salad dressing to choose from here, you can help yourself. I have to keep it kind of bland for Maddie, she’s a sensitive eater. So, bon apetit”

  
She cut Maddie’s salad portion into small pieces for her and lifted her up in her highchair. Maddie had improved with being able to feed herself, but still had a ways to go. She ended with a lot of it on herself. Grey spent most of dinner time helping her.

  
“The manager of the orphanage told me Maddie would be well behind other kids with basic skills. I refused to believe that, so everyday we keep working, and everyday she learns something new. Don’t you Maddie?”

  
She looked up and gave her Mom a big smile, she had salad dressing all over her face. “Yes Momma, it’s fun.”

  
“Soon, she’ll be ready to start daycare. Then she can socialize with kids her own age. She’s pretty well caught up enough that I can leave her for short amounts of time. She’s a great kid, but sometimes I need a break.”

  
She tried to wipe Maddie’s face. She squirmed away from the napkin. “No!”  
Grey sighed. “Yes, you’re all messy.” She gave up and turned to Carolina.

“Scuusee, I’m gonna have to go give this one a bath. I’ll clean up this dishes when I’m done. Just make yourself at home.”  
She struggled with the squirming child, but she did win.

Carolina looked at the messy kitchen Grey left behind. She shook her head and started straightening up. She was happy to have something to do.

  
Her phone rang. She looked and saw it was Wash. She felt a little guilty that she hadn’t called to check in with him. But why should she have to? She wasn’t a child. “Hi Wash.”

  
“Hey ‘Lina, just calling to make sure you’re   
doing alright, I haven’t heard from you.”

  
Her face got a little pink, she really should have called him. “Oh sorry about that, I’ve been busy. I had to babysit Maddie for a while and I lost track of time.”

  
“Oh okay. If you want, I can always come and get you. You don’t need to feel obligated to stay with Dr. Grey.” He figured she was having a terrible time, and he didn’t want to admit that he missed having her around.

  
She looked around at the cramped apartment and messy kitchen. She should want to leave, she had planned on it. Yet, Maddie helped cheer her up, and Grey’s constant mindless chatter really did help her feel better.

At Wash’s house, she felt stressed out all the time. Like she still had to prove she was the dominant solider over Wash. With Grey, she wasn’t a solider, it was no contest to be the best.

  
“Umm, no thanks, I’m actually good here. Grey is just as looney and chaotic in her home life as she at the hospital. But it’s kind of fun. Anyway, I start work tomorrow morning. I should stay here for now.”

  
“Alright, if you change your mind, you know you always have a place here with us.” He tried to keep the disappointment out of his voice.

  
“Thanks Wash, I really appreciate it. See you.” She felt a little guilty when she hung up. Wash had Tucker and the kids, he’d be fine.

  
“Auntie ‘Lina, I’m back.” Maddie came running out to her in a long, light pink nightgown that was so long she could hardly walk with out tripping.

  
“No no Maddie, don’t run.”

It was too late, Maddie tripped and landed hard on her knee. She screamed in pain. Both Carolina and Grey went running to her. Carolina got there first and picked her up and cuddled her close. Maddie’s cries slowed down. She felt better when Carolina held her.

  
“Weeell, it’s a good thing we got a doctor in the house.” Grey checked her knee while Carolina comforted her. “It’s hardly even skinned, I think you’ll be just fine sweetie pie. How about a family movie time to celebrate Carolina’s first night here?”

  
Maddie miraculously recovered and Carolina could set her down. “Yayy”

  
Carolina felt a little weird when Grey mentioned a family movie time. She never had much of a family, even when she did have one. She certainly didn’t need one now.

  
Maddie flopped in the middle of the couch. She reached out her arms to both her mother and Carolina. Grey sat on the right side of Maddie and looked up at Carolina, urging her to join them.

  
“C’mon Aunt ‘Lina, sit with me.”

  
Carolina rolled her eyes and acted like it was a nuisance, but her heart melted at the sight of Maddie’s smile.

  
She figured she could tolerate this family crap for one night.

 

 


	4. Chapter 4

 

Wash slammed down the phone. All his calls to Carolina went straight to voicemail, it was agitating him.

Tucker looked up and frowned at his husband.  
“What’s wrong babe, what upset you?”

  
“Carolina.”

  
“What did she do this time? You two are always fighting.”

  
“Every time I try to call her, she’s busy. For the last two weeks, she keeps finding excuses to stay away longer and longer.”

  
“Wow, it’s called having a life, you should try it sometime. She’s busy with her Cancer Support Group. I hear she’s really good at motivational speeches. She’s so mean, she scares the hell out of cancer.”

  
Wash glared at him. He wasn’t in the mood for jokes. “I understand all that. But why is she too busy to call me back? She hangs out with Dr. Grey more than she does with me anymore.”

  
“Aww Wash, are you jealous?” Tucker laughed.

  
Wash’s face burned bright red. “No, I just feel responsible for her. She’s like family. I want her to be happy.”

  
“Uh-huh. Look at how red your face is, you liar. You’re jealous babe.”

  
Wash was flustered. “Oh shut up.” Right now, he was sick of his husband.

  
Tucker kept it up. “You notice how close Grey and ‘Lina have become? Especially the way ‘Lina looks when Grey says something completely off the wall. I think she’s falling for her, it’s becoming obvious. So yeah, I think she’s happy.”

  
Wash’s face was an even deeper red. He was aware of it, but didn’t want to think about it. When his phone finally rang, it scared him. He was happy it was Carolina.

  
“Hey ‘Lina, thanks for calling me back.”

  
He could hear the exasperation in her voice. “Well, you only left twenty voice messages in the last two hours. Is this a real emergency or are you trying to tick me off?”

  
“No, I have an actual reason. Tucker and I are having a little cookout party tomorrow and we wondered if you wanted to come.”

  
Tucker’s loud voice came over Wash’s phone. “What, we’re having a party?”

  
Wash groaned. “Tucker, shut up.” He pushed him away from the phone. “Uh, So would you like to come?”

  
She heard the commotion on Wash’s end. She held back a chuckle, leave it to Tucker to ruin Wash’s lame excuse. But she thought it was so cute that Wash missed her that much.

“Sure, I’ll check with Emily, I’m pretty sure we’re both free tomorrow. Maddie will love playing with the big kids. I’ll see you.”

  
“Yeah, see you.” He hung up the phone feeling defeated.

  
He didn’t want Dr. Grey there. He planned on having Carolina over like a family event. Now that was ruined. He figured he should check with Grif and Simmons. Since Carolina was bringing Emily and Maddie, they should come over with their kids. At least this would sort of be like a family party.

  
Tucker looked confused. “What, are you having a party?”

  
Wash felt stupid. “Yeah, I guess so now.”

  
Chloe was sprawled out on the couch reading a book from her summer reading list. She looked up when she heard the word ‘party’. “Are we having a party Daddy?” She hoped so, it was a boring summer so far.

  
Tucker shrugged. “At least your Dad is. I’m still trying to figure out if I’m invited yet.” He tried to say it with a serious face, but he couldn’t help cracking a smile.

  
Wash shot him a look. “Well, of course you are. I don’t even know what we’re having. I think I have an extra pack of hotdogs in the freezer. Guess that’ll have to do.”

  
Tucker wanted to help out. “The kids and I can run to the grocery store and pick up a few things if you want.”

  
“Good, that’ll help. I’ll go over to check with Simmons, maybe he can throw a few things together for me.” Lord, this was going to be a nightmare. All because he missed seeing Carolina.

 

 

“Sure Wash, we can come over tomorrow. What would you like me to bring? I hope I have something here.” Simmons started rummaging through the cupboards to see what he had on hand.

  
“I don’t know, I hadn’t thought that far ahead.” He wished he had sent Tucker out with a list. He could only imagine what he and the kids would come home with.

  
Grif interrupted his video game with his son Dex to come out to the kitchen. “Well, I did plan a busy day of napping tomorrow. But, because there’s free food involved, I’ll help you out.”

  
Simmons emerged from the cupboard with a few cans of baked beans in his hand. “Of course you would show up for the food, fat ass. Wash needs our help, and that’s all you’re worried about?”

  
“Right now, Yeah. At least I’m being honest about it.”

  
Simmons shook his head. “Go back and finish your video game, I hope Dex seriously beats you this time.” He showed the cans to Wash. “Will these baked beans do?”

  
Wash nodded. “That’s perfect. I planned on grilling hotdogs, these will work out great. Thanks for helping.”

  
“Anytime. So you haven’t heard much from Carolina?”

  
He shook his head and looked pitiful. He wasn’t ashamed to admit his jealousy to Simmons. He was just as socially awkward as Wash was.

  
Simmons looked thoughtful. “She had been really busy the last few weeks. I ran into her a couple days ago when I took Mira in for her checkup. Not only is she mentoring fellow cancer patients, she’s also doing some light nursing duties.”

  
Wash sighed. “You know, she never even told me all of that. Who am I kidding, I blew it with her.” He had almost forgotten Simmons was in the room.

  
“What do you mean, how did it you blow it with Carolina?”

  
Wash blushed, he didn’t want Simmons to know that deep down, he still had had a major crush on her. She’s made it quite clear years ago that nothing would happen between them. Now he had Tucker and the kids…he couldn’t let Tucker know that. He was so sensitive, it would break his heart.

  
“Uhh…before she moved in with Grey, we kind of had an argument. At first I thought she stayed away to teach me a lesson, but I guess she really is just keeping busy.”

  
“Exactly, that’s what you want her to be doing, right?”

  
“Of course, I only want the best for her.”

  
Though Wash’s feelings were hurt, deep down, he meant it.

  



	5. Chapter 5

 

“Well, at least it isn’t raining.” Wash was trying to find something positive out of his misery. He looked out the window at the cloudless sky.

  
Tucker came up and wrapped his arms around him. “That’s a good omen. I told you things would work out.”

  
Wash rested his head against Tucker’s chest. “Yeah, that’s true.” He felt better with Tucker around, he started to feel like himself again.

  
He should have known it was too good to be true. There was a knock at the door. He frowned and looked at his watch.

“That must be Simmons. I asked him to come early and help me set up for the party.” He looked out the window. “It’s Donut and Doc. I didn’t invite them, why are they here?”

  
Tucker looked just as confused. “I dunno. Open the door and find out.”

  
Wash frowned deeper. “Thanks for the help hon.” He opened the door. Donut had a duffel bag and Doc was carrying two covered dishes. “Hello guys…come on in.” He didn’t want them here, but couldn’t very well say that to their faces.

  
Donut was full of energy as always. “I brought my party decorating kit with me. I never leave home without it. Don’t worry, I have plenty of streamers and balloons. Where should I start?”

  
Tucker tried to help. “Start at some other house down the road. If you get enough time, then you can decorate this house.”

  
Wash shot him a look, but Donut laughed it off. “Oh Tucker, you’re always so much fun.”

  
Doc handed Wash the covered dishes. “I made some fresh guacamole and hummus. It’s all straight out of the hydroponic garden Dr. Grey and I started. This is the good stuff.”

  
Wash stiffly took the dishes. “Thank you. Uh, don’t take this the wrong way, but why are you two here? This was only an impromptu family party, mostly for the kids.”

  
Doc kind of laughed it off. “Why, Dr. Grey invited us. She said there was a great barbecue going on at Wash and Tucker’s, and we wouldn’t want to miss it. So we didn’t.”

  
“Great, I’m glad she told you.” This was another reason to hate Dr. Grey. First she steals his best friend, now she’s inviting people at random to his house. It was wonderful.

  
Chloe came out of her bedroom, already dressed for the party. She had a brand new, hot pink summer dress on that Tucker spent a small fortune for. She looked pretty in it, but she didn’t need it. That dress had been an hour long argument between Wash and Tucker.

  
“Donut, David is outside playing, so why don’t you start out there. He can help you.”

  
Chloe perked up when she saw Donut. “I’ll help too Uncle Donut.” Doc went with them, at least Wash got rid of them for a little while.

  
Through the open door, he saw Simmons and Grif with the kids. Dex and Mira were racing each other, while Jake stayed close to Simmons. By the time they got to the porch, Mira won the race, but she was wheezing thanks to her asthma problems.

  
Simmons panicked as usual. “Mira! I told you not to go running like that. Here’s your inhaler.”

  
She took a few breaths with it, and breathing got back to normal. “But Daddy, it’s fun. I like to run and you never let me.” Her face was set in its usual pout. She was prepared to have a temper tantrum if she needed to.

  
Like always, Grif had her back. “Lighten up, she’s a kid. She needs to be able to play. You try to keep her closed in a plastic bubble, and then wonder why she acts up.”

  
Simmons shot him a look, but didn’t say anything. He didn’t feel like fighting with him in front of everyone. And, he knew Grif was right. He sighed and went to help Wash with the grill.

  
Mira came over and tugged at his hand. “Yes sweetie?”

  
“Daddy, Chloe has a dress on for the party, and I want one too.” She looked down at her own coral t-shirt and denim shirt and felt out of place.

  
Simmons thought for a second. “The only dress you own is that one I tried to make you wear to preschool. You threw a fit about not wanting to wear it, and I doubt it even fits you now. We’ll be shopping in a few weeks for school clothes. You can get some then.”

  
Mira wasn’t happy, The all too familiar pout returned. “But Daddy, I need one now.”

  
Simmons sighed and shook his head. Some days he couldn’t believe this was his kid. “Mira, there’s nothing I can do about it. What you have on looks fine.”

  
She huffed loudly and kicked at some rocks. Her Dad never understood. Luckily Chloe did. Her own little brother, David, could be a spoiled handful at times.

  
“C’mon Mira, I’ll fix that for you.” She took her hand and led her to her bedroom so she could find a dress that she liked.

  
David was happily playing football with Dex and Jake. Donut and Doc were in their glory with planning their perfect party decorations.

  
Grif and Tucker were supposed to be setting up the picnic table, but were doing more arguing than anything. Wash and Simmons were the only two actually working. All he needed now was Carolina.

  
All of a sudden, she came through the gate. She had on a turquoise colored shirt and dark grey cargo pants. Maddie was holding onto one of her hands. Her other hand was clamped onto Dr. Grey’s. “Hieee everyone.” Grey waved.

  
Wash’s heart gave a little lurch. He was hoping Grey wouldn’t be able to come. He felt bad as soon as he said it. As soon as she saw Wash, Maddie let go and went running for him. “Hi Uncle Wash.” He couldn’t help giving her a big hug.

  
When she saw Simmons, she abandoned Wash so she could be with her favorite Uncle. Simmons came so close to adopting Maddie, but it was clear, she was meant to be with Dr. Grey.

  
Wash focused his attention to the grill, trying to hide his pain. He felt a familiar hand on his shoulder. He turned his head and saw himself staring at Carolina’s bright green eyes.

  
“Hey Wash. You realize you’re not grilling those hotdogs the right way, don’t you?”

  
Wash choked back his tears, and gave a smile. “If you think you can do any better, go ahead.”

  
She gave him a little grin and the two worked together to cook the hotdogs perfectly. This was what Wash needed, one on one time with Carolina.

  
He realized how stupid he’d been in the last two weeks. He was amazed at how healthy and happy she looked. He hadn’t seen her look like that since before York was killed.

  
Maybe Grey really was good for her. Carolina stayed close to his side for most of the party, while Grey played with the kids. She was the most popular babysitter ever.

  
Later that evening, as they were getting ready to leave, Carolina gave Wash’s hand a little squeeze. “Don’t worry about me, I’m fine. You have to let me go if you expect to come back. As your superior officer, it’s my command to you to have fun with your husband and kids. That way, you won’t miss me.”

  
She was interrupted when Maddie practically jumped into her arms. She was getting tired and wanted Carolina to hold her.

  
As Wash watched the three of them leaving together, he had to admit, he felt a little better. Maybe Carolina was exactly where she was meant to be. He kept hearing her words running through his head.

  
He had to learn to let her go.  
  
  
  



	6. Chapter 6

 

Dr. Grey sat nervously around the kitchen table, staring at her phone, waiting for it to ring. Carolina came in to get a cup of coffee. She gave Grey a funny look. She was used to her eccentricities by now, but every once in a while, she had Carolina worried about her mental state.

  
“Do I even want to know what you’re doing there?”

  
“Waiting for the realtor to call. They said they contacted the owner of the house I want, and they would seriously consider my offer. The realtor said they would call, so damnit, I’m waiting.”

  
Carolina frowned at her. “You do realize that could take all day?”

  
“I’m prepared to wait.” When she got that determined look in her face, there was no point in arguing.

  
Carolina sighed and shook her head. “Whatever, have fun sitting at the table.” She went to sit in the couch to drink her coffee.

She was watching Maddie.   
Maddie was in the middle of the living room, seriously painting away on her plastic painter’s easel. She took her time with every stroke and picking the right color, just like a real artist. She finished her picture and tore it off the easel. She took it show Carolina.

  
“Here Aunt ‘Lina, I drew you a butterfly.”

  
“Aww, it’s a beautiful butterfly. I love all the pastel colors you used.”

  
Maddie’s cheeks grew pink, as she looked down at the floor. She was embarrassed and pleased by the compliment both at the same time.

  
Grey grew impatient for her phone call. “Ring, ring, ring.” She gave the phone a pep talk, but still nothing.

  
Maddie giggled over her Mom talking to the phone. Carolina groaned. “Emily, stop it. It’s never going to ring with you watching it like that.”

  
As on cue, the phone did ring. “Ha, I told you so!” She composed herself, then she answered. “Hello.” Carolina watched as the excitement left her face. It wasn’t the call she wanted. Carolina felt bad for her.

  
“Yeah? Seriously, this is my only day off. I had plans with my daughter. Alright, I’ll be down for the surgery.”

  
Maddie knew she was upset and went to her. “What’s wrong Momma?”

  
Grey put her arms around her and pulled her close. “A mean and nasty patient is working today honey. I was supposed to take you for your first day at daycare.”

  
Carolina finished her coffee and came to stand by Grey. “There’s other doctors down there, why can’t one of them do it?”

  
“Oh, it’s a complicated brain tumor surgery. We’re training a new doctor and they want her to learn from a pro how to perform difficult surgeries. She’ll be my backup surgeon. So now I have to rush Maddie to daycare, spend four hours in surgery, and you still have that blood test that you keep putting off.” She gave Carolina a critical glare.

  
Carolina looked guilty. She felt she could definitely skip that. She was too afraid to know how far her cancer had progressed.

“Well, how about if I drop Maddie off and meet with the teacher? I’ll pick her up after my afternoon hospital duties. Then I’ll come to your office and have the blood taken.”

  
Tears welled in Grey’s eyes. “Thank you, I had my heart set on being there for Maddie’s first day away, but I’m glad that you can be there for her. That means a lot.”

  
All three of them rushed around to get ready. Grey didn’t have time to curl Maddie’s wavy hair, but she did pull it back with a pink bow. The little girl looked nervous, but she was definitely ready for daycare.

  
Grey knelt down beside Maddie, she had tears in her eyes. “I’m so sorry baby, I really wanted to be there for your first day of school.”

  
“It’s okay Momma, Aunt ‘Lina will be there.”

  
She kissed Maddie’s cheek. “Listen to your teacher and have fun with the other kids. Don’t be nervous, you got this. Oh man, I’m late.” She flew out the door.

  
Carolina grabbed her car keys and looked at Maddie. She was feeling overwhelmed, and Maddie didn’t look much better. Her eyes looked big and scared. When she took hold of Carolina’s hand, she felt braver.

  
“Well, you all ready for daycare?”

  
She gripped Carolina’s hand tighter. She copied what her Mom told. “Yeah, I got this.”

  
Carolina gave her a big smile and they headed out the door. Maddie didn’t even know what the phrase meant.

  
By the time they reached the daycare, all of Maddie’s confidence was gone. She turned extremely shy, and refused to let go of Carolina’s hand.

  
They were met by the daycare teacher. “Hello there, I’m Mrs. Evans. This must be Madeline, I heard you would be joining us today, honey.”

  
Mrs. Evans was about middle aged, with short brown hair that had no particular style. Her clothes looked frumpy and comfortable. She seemed very pleasant, and was what you would expect from someone who worked with young children everyday.

  
Maddie’s eyes got huge and she tried to hide behind Carolina. She had to keep nudging Maddie forward. “It’s okay Maddie, she’s your teacher. Say hello to her.”

  
Maddie was so quiet, her voice could hardly be heard. “Hello.” She hid her face against Carolina’s arm. She was a little worried about Maddie. Maybe this wasn’t going to work out.

  
“I don’t know if this is such a good idea. Maybe we should wait until she’s older to try daycare.”

  
“Oh nonsense, believe me, she’ll be fine. Most toddlers her age start off shy like this. Once she gets around the other kids, she’ll come out of it. We purposely put her in the same room as David Tucker, so she’ll already know somebody to play with.”

  
“Oh, I guess that’s not so bad then.”

  
“Are you her mother?”

  
“Uh, no. Her mother’s a doctor and she called out on an emergency. I’m a friend that’s dropping Maddie off.”

  
“Aww, aren’t you such a nice friend. Come on Maddie, let’s go meet your new friends.” She took Maddie’s other hand. Surprisingly, she let her. Carolina thought that was a good sign. At least she could trust the teacher.

  
David came running over as soon as the door opened. “Hi Aunt ‘Lina! Hi Maddie!” He gave them both hugs. “C’mon Maddie, you can meet my friends, you’re missing all the fun.”

  
She looked back at Carolina only once before running to catch up with David. She was a little quiet around the other kids, but soon she would be playing with them. Carolina stayed for a only a few minutes, she knew it was okay to leave Maddie here.

  
David had so much of Wash’s personality about him. Carolina knew he would watch after Maddie while she was gone.  
  



	7. Chapter 7

 

Carolina looked at her watch. It was later than she thought. Her visit with her patient, Joey, took longer than expected. She had been a martial arts expert, and he wanted to learn some.

She had fun teaching him a few easy moves and lost track of time. She hoped Maddie didn’t think she’d been abandoned.

  
Carolina flew through the daycare door, all ready to apologize, when she stopped in her tracks. Maddie was sharing a desk with a little girl, the two were giggling and laughing together like they were old friends.

  
The little girl couldn’t have been more than two years old. Her light brown hair was braided into pigtails, and she was wearing a blue jumpsuit. They looked so sweet together that Carolina didn’t want to interrupt them.

  
Mrs. Evans startled her when she came up behind her. “You’ll be happy to hear that Maddie had a great first day. She has a new best friend. She and Jamie have been playing together all morning.”

  
Carolina was so proud of Maddie. “That’s so sweet. Maddie’s been so super shy, it’s hard for her to make friends.”

  
“David introduced her to every kid in the place. Jamie here, has always been very shy herself. I think that’s why the two of them hit it off so well.”

  
Carolina needed to interrupt the new best friends, but didn’t know how to. Fortunately, David was still there. Apparently, Wash was running late too.

  
“Aunt ‘Lina!” He ran to her and threw his arms around her. “I miss you, I wish you’d come home.”

  
“Aww, I miss you too buddy. I’ve been so busy working, I don’t have a lot of free time. But I promise I’ll come by to visit you a lot.”

  
He was happy with that. “Good, I’ll like that!” He looked behind Carolina. “Hi Daddy!” He went to Wash.

  
Carolina was flustered, she hadn’t talked much to Wash since the party. This was too awkward for her. “Hi Wash.”

  
Wash picked up David and hugged him. “Hey ‘Lina, it’s nice to see you again. I hear Maddie had a good day here. If I knew we were both going to be late, I would have volunteered to pick Maddie up for you.”

  
“That’s okay. I have a blood test scheduled in a little bit. I’m in no hurry to know the results.”

  
Wash looked worried. “Are you feeling alright?”

  
Carolina smiled. It was so like Wash to worry over her. “Of course I am. It’s kind of mandatory, you know how Emily is determined to get me to remission. Actually, I feel better than I have in a while.”

  
The mention of Emily Grey’s name, made Wash’s heart lurch. He was happy that Carolina had someone else in her life that cared about her as much as he did. She needed more people like that. He knew he was only being childish.

  
“Yes you do, you look great.”

  
Carolina blushed and tried to change the subject. “Emily is probably getting worried by now. I better get Maddie home.”

  
Wash broke out of his trance. “Yeah” He looked over at David. He was getting tired of waiting for his Dad. “This guy wants to go home. Let me know how your test goes.”

  
“Sure, I’ll call you later.” Maddie finished painting and brought her picture to Carolina.

  
“I made you a fish to go with your butterfly.” She looked all proud.

  
“It’s such a lovely fish. Did you have fun today?”

  
“Yes, I made a new bestest friend. Can I come back tomorrow?”

  
“You have to ask your Mom, but I don’t see why not. Let’s go see her.”

  
Maddie waved goodbye to Jamie and let Carolina lead her out the door.

 

 

All through Carolina’s blood test, Maddie rambled on and on to her Mom about everything she did at daycare. Though Grey was focused on her work, she managed to listen to every word her daughter said, and made every appropriate comment she should make. Carolina thought that Grey was an absolute saint at times.

  
“Momma, can I go back tomorrow? I wanna play with Jamie again.”

  
“Of course you can. When we get settled in our new house, you can invite her over for play dates.” Maddie looked so happy.

  
“Did you really get your house?” Carolina didn’t know whether to believe it or not.

  
Grey tried to keep from laughing, but couldn’t. “Yep, they finally called ten minutes before you and Maddie came. They accepted my offer, which is well below listing price, so I got a good deal. Maddie and I are going to be so happy there.”

  
A chill went down Carolina’s spine. She had been hanging around Grey and Maddie so much that they began to feel like family. Now she came to reality that she really wasn’t. Grey and Maddie were a family, Carolina was just as out of place as she was at Wash’s house.

  
She tried to hold back her tears, she was truly happy for Grey. “That’s so great. You deserve it.”

  
Grey thought for a moment. “Yeah, I Sure do.” She laughed as she went to check Carolina’s blood sample. It wouldn’t take Grey long to give her the bad news, she was waiting for it.

  
After a few minutes of staring at the clock, Carolina heard a loud shriek. She jumped off the cot to check on Grey.

“Emily, what’s wrong?” She was afraid she was hurt.

  
She kept looking under her microscope like she couldn’t believe what she was looking at. Now Carolina was scared.

“Emily, just tell me how bad it is. I can take it.”

  
Grey shook her head. “No, it’s not bad at all, this is wonderful. Look at this slide of your blood sample.”

  
When Carolina didn’t move fast enough, Grey pulled her by her sleeve. She looked under the microscope. She had no idea what she was looking at.

  
“I give up, what is this?”

  
“Those are your white blood cells. Those power your immune system to fight off and kill cancer cells. Your body wasn’t producing enough of those in the beginning of your cancer. That’s why you needed the chemo. Now your body is making their own supply again.”

  
Carolina still looked confused. “What does that mean?”

  
“You don’t need chemo anymore. You are technically in remission girlie!” She gave an excited squeal.

  
Carolina was in shock, she couldn’t think straight. “So I’m alright now?”

  
Grey nodded. “Yep, you’re great.” She gave Carolina the biggest hug. Before letting go, Grey gave her a long passionate kiss.

  
Carolina was more in shock. She stiffened up and didn’t know how to react. “What was that for?” She half laughed and half frowned.

  
Grey gave her a sly little smile. “Oh, I thought you could use it right about now. Think of it as a new prescription to help you feel better.”

  
Carolina thought about it before shrugging. “Maybe that does work.” She gave a definite smile.

  
Before Grey could give her a second one, Maddie interrupted. “Momma, I need help with my doll’s shoe. It won’t stay on.”

  
Grey groaned and went to help her. “To be continued…”

  
She left Carolina standing alone, wondering how she lost control of her life. She lost so many friends and so many chances to be happy. She thought about Grey and Maddie, and it scared her.

  
She was so attached already, she didn’t think she could survive losing those two.  
  



	8. Chapter 8

 

“Oh man, I hate having to work a night shift, I’m not used to them. I still have to call Simmons and see if he can watch Maddie tonight. With her night terrors, I can’t leave her with just anyone.”

  
Grey plopped wearily down in the couch and watched Maddie as she played with her favorite princess dolls. Carolina finished putting away the breakfast dishes and went to join her.

  
She thought about it for a second. “You know, why bother Simmons and Grif? I’m already here, I can watch her tonight.”

  
Grey looked at her affectionately and put her hand on her knee. “I always hate bugging you for babysitting duty, I feel like I’m taking you for granted. You’ve seen how bad her screaming can get at night, and Simmons is so used to having kids around.”

  
“Trust me, you’re not taking advantage of me, I want to do this. Simmons may have more experience with kids, but I’ve seen how you deal with her nightmares. She’ll be okay for me.” She looked over at the little girl. “Won’t you Maddie?”

  
On hearing her name, Maddie looked up at Carolina and smiled. “Yep, I love it when you babysit.” She abandoned her dolls and joined Carolina and her Mom on the couch. She curled up in between them.

  
Grey put one arm around her daughter and the other around Carolina and pulled them both closer. “Weeell, since the kiddo approves, I guess you have babysitting duty then.”

  
“Yayy!” Maddie was all happy.

  
“I gotta start on packing up all this junk. We can start moving into the new house tomorrow.” Grey looked both excited and overwhelmed.

  
“I wish I could help you. I have some hospital rounds to go through, then I have to meet with President Kimball. Now that I’m in remission, I need to see if I can get my old job back.”

  
Grey gave her a funny look. “Don’t worry, Doc and Donut volunteered to help carry the boxes for me. But are you sure you want to go back to being a Freelancer?”

  
Carolina thought it was strange she would say that. Of course Carolina wanted her job back…didn’t she? She shook off her doubt. “Yes, I’m sure I do.”

  
“Alrightee then, good luck.” She patted her arm and gave her a quick hug. “ Maddie and I will be busy, busy, busy with all our packing.”

  
Grey tried not to think about the nursing school application she picked up for Carolina yesterday. She had been waiting for the right moment to surprise her with it. Looks like that would never happen now…

 

 

Carolina was never so nervous as she felt sitting in the receptionist room, waiting for Kimball’s secretary to buzz her in the room. For some reason, Grey’s words haunted her. Of course she wanted to go back to being a Freelancer. All the months fighting with the cancer was so she could go back to her job.

  
But like it or not, things changed. Carolina wasn’t the same person now that she had been. Turns out it took a brief brush of death to make her feel more human than she had ever felt. She wasn’t as invulnerable as she thought, that kind of scared her.

  
She had to admit that she would miss Emily and Maddie when she had to leave. With her line of work, it was never wise to have a family. She should have known it wouldn’t have worked out anyway. She had made so many mistakes in the past, she didn’t want to make another one.

  
The secretary startled her from her thoughts. “President Kimball will see you now.”

  
Kimball looked up from her desk and gave Carolina a big smile. “Congratulations on your remission. We all missed you up here.”

  
Carolina felt I’ll at ease, she wanted to forget all about the cancer scare and get in with her life. “Thank you Vanessa, it’s good to finally be back at base. I wanted to talk to you about getting my old job back.”

  
Kimball nodded her head. “Sure, that shouldn’t be a problem. I will need to start you out on light duty, you need to progress back to doing missions. But you’ll get there soon enough.”

  
“I’m feeling better than I have in a long time.”

  
“I see that. I like the shorter hair style you have now, it looks so practical. Wow, Dr. Grey must really know what’s she’s doing. You’ve only been out a few months, and now remission!”

  
Carolinas heart lurched at the mention of Emily’s name. She had no idea she would be this attached to her already. “Oh yeah, look at how she helped Wash when he was shot a few years ago. She’s the best.” She really was.

  
Kimball approved. “I’ll start you out on light duty, some troop training with Wash. You can ease your way into your regular schedule. You’ll be back on Freelancer missions in no time.”

  
Carolina smiled and nodded. “Good, that’s exactly what I want.”

  
“That’s my girl. Come on in tomorrow morning, and I’ll get you set up with your training schedule for the week.”

  
“Sounds great. Thanks Vanessa.” She figured she should stop by the locker room before leaving for home.

  
Her old locker was left the way she had it since before she had gotten sick. She picked up her turquoise Rogue helmet. She felt empowered just being near it. For the first time in a long time she felt like her old self again. She was where she belonged.

  
She finally had to tear herself away from the armory. Right out of the door, she nearly ran into a familiar gray and yellow solider.

Wash was trying to take off his helmet and walk both at the same time. He couldn’t do it. He struggled to take off the helmet so he could see who he ran into.

  
“Hey, watch it dork.” She said it with an affectionate smile. Wash never changed. Deep down, he was still that guilable, adorable dork.

  
“Oops, sorry ‘Lina, I never completely got the hang of these helmets.” He slid it off and ran his fingers through his buzzed blond hair. “Are you starting back to work yet? I miss working with you.”

  
“Yep, I get my schedule tomorrow. I’ll be training troops with you. At least until I’m strong enough to handle missions again.”

  
Wash couldn’t help giving a relieved smile. “Good, I missed hanging out with my best friend. This is gonna be like old times again.”

  
Carolina’s heart gave another lurch. She stilled cared about Wash and wanted to hang out with him, but she hated giving up Emily. The old times were great, but she was never really happy, not like she was now.

  
Oh well, she figured it would have ended anyway.

  
Wash noticed her hesitation. “You okay ‘Lina?”

  
“Yeah, I’m fine. Damn, it’s getting late. I promised Emily I’d watch Maddie for her. I’ll see you tomorrow.” She left before he could see her tears.

  
But it wasn’t before he clearly the pain in her bright green eyes. She really was in love with Emily Grey, whether she wanted to admit or not.  
He should be happy for her, he really wanted to, but he felt his heart breaking.

  
What would Wash do without his Carolina?  
  
  


 


	9. Chapter 9

 

Carolina tried to open the apartment door. It wouldn’t open, some large object was blocking it. With a panic, she thought of Grey and Maddie, they might be in trouble.

She forced the door as far as it would open. She practically had to slip in through a large crack in the door.  
There were no signs of a struggle, only a large packing box blocking the door. She looked around, the kitchen was full of boxes. “What the hell?”

  
She made her way through the maze of boxes to the living room. It was almost as bad as the kitchen. Poor Maddie barely had room to play with her dolls. She looked up at Carolina as she came into the room.

  
“Hi, Momma was busy today.”

  
Carolina got over her shock. “Yes, I see that.”

  
Grey came down the hallway struggling with an extra heavy box. She gave up and started dragging it. Carolina rushed over to give her a hand. They each took an end, and together they could move it.

  
She gave Carolina a grateful smile. “Thank you, Thank you.” She stopped and looked around. “The problem is, where do we put it?”

  
“I think there’s room in the corner. Here Emily, it’s too heavy for you, I got it.” She moved it with a loud huff. Boy did she have to get back into weight lifting. She was getting weak.

  
“Well, the good news is, that was the very last box.”

  
Carolina got her breath back very quickly. “How in the world did you get this much stuff from one tiny apartment?”

  
“You know, I was asking myself the same question all day. I would say let’s go crash in the couch, but it’s kinda lost right now.” She was often scatterbrained on a regular basis, now she looked absolutely lost.

  
Carolina wondered where she was going to sleep. “Looks like I have to clean it off before I go to bed tonight.”

  
“Oh no, crash in my room tonight, I don’t mind. That way you’ll be closer to Maddie in case she has a nightmare.” Grey was fussing with getting her lab coat buttoned up.

  
“I have to see Kimball in the morning to get my new work schedule. I have to pack up my stuff so I can move back into the barracks.”

  
Grey gave her the saddest look she had ever seen. “It’s great that you have your job back, but why do you want to move away? Don’t you realize that one of the bedrooms in my new house is reserved just for you?”

  
Carolina’s heart sped up a little. She really wanted to stay, but she was afraid it wouldn’t work out. “Thank you Emily. I’ll see what I can work out.”

  
Grey’s smile lit up her whole face. She gently kissed Carolina’s lips. “I tried to make supper earlier, but I couldn’t find the stove. So I sent out for some pizza. There’s plenty on the counter for you. You know Maddie’s routines, she’ll tell you if you forget something. Have a nice night girls.” She gave them both hugs.

  
Carolina felt horrible. She should had told Grey that she was already guaranteed her job back and that she would have to live at the base. But those big lavender eyes, they always looked so sad and haunted. Grey has been through enough torment in her life, she didn’t deserve more from Carolina.

  
She came back to reality when she felt a little tug at her hand. Maddie gave her the same wide eyed sad look as Grey did. If Carolina didn’t know any better, Grey taught it to her.

  
Maddie held up her plastic doll. “Aunt ‘Lina, my dollie broke.” The left arm came off while Maddie was dressing her. Maddie’s eyes were wet with tears and she was sniffling.

  
Carolina knelt down to her. “Don’t worry, I can fix her.” She snapped the arm back in place. “There you go, good as new.”  
Maddie smiled as she tried to stop her tears. “Thank you, you’re just like Momma, you saved my dollie.”

  
“Yeah, I guess so.” She looked at the

time. “It’s time to get ready for bed. If you hurry, we might have enough time for two stories tonight.”

  
“Yay, I like it when you babysit.”

  
Maddie cooperated and it was easy to get her ready for bed. As she promised, Maddie got two stories, her favorites were about princesses. She was passed out before the second story was over.

Carolina tucked her in with her favorite doll, and got ready for bed herself.  
By the time she shut the bedroom lamp off, it was 11pm, and everything was quiet. She fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. She knew she had to get an early start for work tomorrow.

  
The peace and quiet didn’t last. It was almost 2am, Carolina was awoken by a terrifying scream. Her PTSD kicked in, she had been through too many battles and too much hardships. She couldn’t tell if it was a dream or real life, but she jumped awake, and instinctively reached for her gun which wasn’t there.

  
The heard the scream again, it was followed by a third. She suddenly remembered where she was. Poor Maddie needed her, the screaming continued. She ran to her side.

  
Maddie’s face was bright red from the screaming and crying. She had a hard time catching her breath. Carolina wrapped her arms around her and pulled her close. Maddie wouldn’t stop crying.

  
She pointed to her closet door. “Scary, scary.” It was all she could get out. She kept pointing.

  
“It’s okay honey, there’s nothing in there.” She went to flip on the light. She opened the closet door so Maddie could see it was empty. Her screams stopped, but she was still crying. “Come on, you want to stay with me tonight?”

  
She nodded and Carolina picked her up and took her to Grey’s bedroom. She had a hold of Carolina and didn’t want to let go. “The bad man was in there.”

  
“‘The bad man’? Was that your father, was he the one that hurt you? That’s who is in your nightmares?”

  
Maddie nodded. At that moment, Carolina wanted her first case to be hunting that idiot down, so she could beat him and scare him like he did to his innocent daughter.

  
“Maddie, you know you don’t have to be afraid of him ever again. I’m here, you know I’ll kick his butt if he tried to hurt you.”

  
Maddie stopped crying and looked adoringly up at Carolina. She believed her, and she realized that she truly was safe. She cuddled close in Carolina’s arms “I love you Aunt ‘Lina.”

  
Carolina hugged her close. “I love you too kiddo.” Maddie fell fast asleep, Carolina intended to move her back to her crib, but she dozed off before she realized it.

  
Later that night, when Grey got home, she found the two curled up together. She couldn’t help smiling, they looked so cute together. She pulled the blanket up around them, and gave them both little kisses. She whispered “Night night, sweeties.”

  
She curled up beside Carolina and fell asleep. It woke Carolina up. She instinctively stiffened by Grey’s touch, she always had the same reaction to York.

But for the first time, she let her guard down. She hated to admit it, but being with Grey and Maddie felt like being with her family.

  
It had been years since she felt like she had been part of a family. She didn’t want to give this up.

  
  
  



	10. Chapter 10

 

Carolina woke up before her alarm went off. Maddie was just waking up, she was all comfy laying in Carolina’s arms. Grey was still asleep, curled up against Carolina’s back.

  
She whispered to Maddie. “You want me to make you some breakfast so your Mom can sleep a little longer?”

  
She nodded and tried to talk quietly. “Yes please.” Carolina held back a smile. She thought it was so cute how quickly Maddie caught onto Grey’s lessons on good manners.

  
By the time she had Maddie all dressed for the day, Grey was waking up. She found Carolina looking lost in the kitchen wondering how to get Maddie a bowl of cereal.

  
“I wouldn’t even try to make any breakfast in this mess.”  
Carolina jumped a little, she never even heard Grey come up behind her.

Maddie was whimpering. “Momma, I’m hungry.”

  
Grey made her way to the refrigerator and took out the box of pizza. She set a cold slice on a napkin and handed it to Maddie. “There madam, breakfast is served.”

  
Maddie giggled and ate her pizza. Grey got some for herself and Carolina. “No thanks, I’m going to be late for my appointment with Kimball.”

  
“Oh Alrightee, when you get done, you come join us at the new house. It won’t take me long to load these boxes with Donut’s and Doc’s help.”

  
She sounded positive enough, but one last glance around, told Carolina the three of them would be at this all day. The sooner she got her orientation out of the way, she sooner she could lend them a hand.

 

 

  
She was more nervous this second time around at Kimball’s office than the first time. She had the sinking feeling that she was making the wrong decision, though she didn’t know why. Her eyes burned with tears that she could hardly hold back.

  
Kimball noticed her hesitation. “You okay there Carolina?” As she handed over the forms she needed to sign.

  
She looked up quickly. “Of course I’m okay, why wouldn’t I be?” She had the pen in her hand, but something wouldn’t let her sign it. “By any chance, if I re-enlist, can I live off base, at least in between missions?” She was afraid to ask.

  
The look on Kimball’s face told her no. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. Is there a particular reason why? Maybe a certain someone you don’t want to leave?”

  
Carolina wasn’t surprised by it. She and Grey never tried to keep it a secret. It was something that just happened. She figured she should be honest about it.

  
“Actually, it’s more like two somebodies. I know you know about Dr. Grey, but I’m also really attached to her daughter. I’m going to have a hard time leaving them behind.” She had the pen in her hands, ready to sign her re-enlistment forms.

  
Kimball put her hand over Carolina’s to stop her. “Wait, have you talked to Emily about all of this?”

  
She set down the pen. “Not really, I didn’t know how to tell her. She and Maddie both had terrible pasts, I didn’t want to make it worse for them.”

  
“We can put this off for another day. Do me a favor and talk to Emily. Explain to her what’s going on and get her opinion first. It’s not fair to her and the baby if you just take off on them with no explanations.”

  
Carolina’s tears fell. She didn’t want to cry in front of President Kimball. She didn’t seem to mind though. She reached over and handed her a tissue.

  
“Don’t worry, just talk to Emily. You’ll know the right decision to make.”

  
She left Kimball’s office feeling more confused than ever.

 

 

  
Carolina stopped by the house before going to the apartment. She went to knock, but someone left the door wide open. She frowned as she went to shut it. That was probably Donut. He was always so forgetful.

  
She gasped when she saw how far along Grey and the guys had gotten in only a few hours of moving the boxes out. Almost all of them were moved and waiting to be arranged in their permanent spot.

  
Maddie had a new toy, it was a castle doll house. She was playing happily with it in the living room. It was almost as big as she was.

  
She smiled at Carolina. “Momma got me a new toy for being good and helping out.”

  
“Wow, that’s a really nice dollhouse.”

Carolina didn’t exactly approve of Grey almost bribing her with new toys like she did, but Maddie always appreciated everything she was given. And she wasn’t Carolina’s kid.

  
Grey came out from the kitchen to meet her. “So, what’dya think so far? Is this place great or what? You should see how huge the kitchen the is. I’m roasting a chicken and I’m planning a nice fancy, family dinner tonight to celebrate.”

  
Maddie came over to hold Carolina’s hand. “I have a big room all of my own and a second one just for my toys.” She looked so proud, Carolina couldn’t help but be happy for her.

  
“I saved the nicest bedroom for you. I sent Doc and Donut out to pick up a bed for your room, they’re finishing putting it together. I have to get a lot more furniture in general to fill this extra space. Other than that, I think it’s coming together nicely.”

  
Carolina cringed, she didn’t expect Grey to go through this much trouble for her. She really should talk to her about her plans to re-enlist. But that excited, child like look on Grey’s face…Carolina couldn’t do it.

  
She was saved by a knock at the door. Wash looked in through the screen door.

“Hi Emily, I brought those baby gates over that you needed for Maddie.” He looked awkwardly at Carolina. “Hi, I missed you at work this morning.”

  
“Uh Yeah, Kimball and I had some problems with the paperwork, but by tomorrow, I’ll be cleared for work.”

  
“Great.” He turned to Grey. “I’ll go ahead and and block off this staircase.” He gently ruffled Maddie’s curls. “We don’t want somebody getting hurt on the stairs, do we Maddie?”

  
She smiled at him. “No. Thank you Uncle Wash.”

  
Donut came rushing down the stairs. “Hi, bye. I need to grab some more tools. The bedroom is almost done!” Again he left the door wide open. No one noticed.

Wash started securing the gates, while Grey went to start a pot of tea boiling. Carolina went to help her, they needed to talk.

  
Grey turned around. “Maddie, c’mon in the kitchen with us sweetie.”

  
“Okay Momma.” She went to grab her favorite doll. As she passed the open back door, a movement caught her attention. A butterfly was hovering in the door way. She loved the bright orange color on the wings.

  
“Ohh pretty!” She went over to touch it. The butterfly flew away. “No, come back.” She followed after it.

  
The butterfly moved further away, she moved forward, closer and closer to the road. She had no concept of how dangerous this was. She loved this butterfly and she wanted it.

  
Carolina had a bad feeling, Maddie was taking too long to join her and Grey. She went to the living room. “Maddie, where are you?”

  
There was no answer. Maddie always listened to Carolina. Grey joined her, she was getting scared. Carolina looked out the door. She saw Maddie.

  
“Oh my god, Emily, she’s near the road!”  
They both went running.

  
“Madeline Emma Grey, stop!” With hearing her Mom’s voice, Maddie stopped and realized where she was. She panicked and started screaming.

  
Carolina was so out of practice. She prayed she could reach the baby in time.  
  
  
  



	11. Chapter 11

 

None of the cars were slowing down. Maddie was so small, they didn’t even see her. Carolina’s worst nightmare was happening right in broad daylight.

She had lost so many of the people she cared so much about throughout her life. There was no way she could handle losing this little girl.

  
Carolina sensed the truck before she actually saw it. There was no way the driver could see Maddie, and no way he could stop in time. Grey was a fast runner, but she wouldn’t make it in time. It was all up to Carolina. She sprinted faster than she ever had in her life.

  
She scooped Maddie up in her arms mere seconds before the truck would hit her. He slammed on his brakes and looked alarmed, but Carolina already had her out of the way. She clung to Carolina and cried. Grey ran up to her.

  
Maddie cried even harder when she saw her Mom. “Momma, I’m sorry, don’t be mad at me.”

  
Grey held her close and kissed her cheek. “No honey, I’m not mad. You scared me, you know better than to run off like that.”

  
She carried Maddie back to the house and settled with her on the couch. They both were shaking and crying. Carolina sat on the arm of the couch, putting an arm around Grey. She had never seen the doctor so shaken up before.

  
Wash came downstairs. “Oh my gosh! Are they okay?”

  
Carolina nodded. Her heart rate was still sky high, she had a hard time being able to talk. “Yes, I got Maddie in time. That damned truck never seen her until it was almost too late.”

  
The tea kettle was whistling on the stove. Wash was feeling awkward. He saw how Carolina was so supportive of Grey and her daughter. The three of them really looked like a family. Carolina absolutely belonged with them. Wash’s heart skipped a beat, he really did lose her.

  
He had to do something. “I’ll go get you guys some tea. That’ll help calm you all down.” He backed away to the kitchen. No one seemed to miss him.

  
Grey reached up to hold Carolina’s hand and she gave it a squeeze. “Thank you for saving Maddie’s life, I never would have made it in time. This is all my fault, I should have been watching her.”

  
Carolina rested her cheek on the top of Grey’s head. “No, it’s no one’s fault. She’s a young child, there’s no way you can watch her every second, these things happen.”

  
She hated seeing seeing the fear in Grey’s eyes like that. She didn’t know any way to help her feel better.

  
Maddie’s crying calmed down. She sniffled as she looked up at Carolina with wide eyed innocence. “Are you like my Mommy now?”

  
Carolina’s face burned. She forget about the bad news that she didn’t get to tell Grey yet. How could she blurt it out at a time like this?

  
“You already have a Mommy honey.” Carolina tried to think of any way out of having to tell the truth.

  
Her big blue eyes looked at Carolina so adoringly. “I could have two Mommies.”

  
Carolina was stuck. Who would think she could be bested by a toddler. Grey was absolutely no help, she waited for her answer with an amused look on her face.

“Uh Yeah…some kids do…” She had to tell the truth. “Honey, I would love to stay here with you, but now that I’m not sick, I have to go back to work.”

  
Maddie looked confused. “Why can’t you stay with me?”

  
“Because it’s the military. They have strict rules that if I’m a Freelancer, I have to stay at the base.”

  
Maddie started crying again. “No, I love you, I don’t want you to go away.”

  
Carolina was close to tears herself. Kimball’s words from earlier kept running through her head. Now she knew what the right decision was. She truly loved this little girl and she couldn’t break her heart.

  
Grey looked devastated by the news. “You know, she’s not the only that loves you. Besides Maddie, I love you more than anything in this world. I want you to be happy, and I don’t think re-enlisting in the army will make you happy. You’re meant for another career.”

  
Carolina’s tears flowed. “Think of how many people I can help if I go back to being a Freelancer.”

  
Grey reached over to the coffee table and handed a Carolina a folder. “I picked this up at the hospital the other day. This is a form for nursing school. My hospital is so understaffed, we need all the help we can get. Think of how many people you can help as a registered nurse.”

  
She actually never thought of that. She sat looking at the form. “Give up the military for the hospital?”

  
“You’ll be happier. This way, we can work together. I had another surprise for you.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small, blue box. “Here, this is for you.”

  
She frowned as she opened it. It was a heart shaped turquoise ring. “What is this for?”

  
Grey couldn’t hold back a laugh. “Duh ‘C’, you’re so clueless. Will you marry me?”

  
Carolina’s heart felt like it would stop. Only York and Epsilon ever called her ‘C’. She missed both of them so terribly. She knew it was a sign, Emily Grey was meant for her. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”

  
Grey gave her a big kiss as she slipped the ring on her finger. “I picked the turquoise cause it matches your armor color.”

  
“Yes, I see that. It was a good choice.” She looked at Maddie who was laughing at both of them. “Looks like you got your wish kiddo. I’ll get to be your Mom.”

  
Wash came in with hands full with the mugs of tea. He face looked pale white. “Well, congratulations you two.” He set down the mugs on the coffee table and tried to get out of there as fast as he could.

  
Carolina followed behind him. He hadn’t made it out of the back yard. “Wash, wait up. Don’t act like this.” She knew how upset he really was.

  
“Act like what? I had my chance with to be with you years ago. Now it’s Emily’s turn.”

  
“When I broke up with you, I knew it was a mistake. When I came back, I saw you were happy with Tucker, so I left it alone. Now I realize, that was all for the best. We wouldn’t have been good for one another. We were both able to find who we should be with. This is a good thing.”

  
Wash felt his heart breaking. He would have actually had a chance with Carolina. “Yeah sure. Congratulations, have a nice life.” He walked away.

  
Carolina’s tears started up again. Wash was damned stubborn, why couldn’t he see it? She would love him for the rest of her life, but she was never in love with him.

  
She took a deep breath and wiped away the tears. She went back to the house determined to make a new start with her new family.

  
She just hoped Wash would come to his senses…  
  
  
  



	12. Chapter 12

 

Wash made his way home in a daze. He couldn’t feel much of anything. He could hear the kids hollering and playing in the backyard. At least they were having a good day.

  
Tucker had the hose, he was filling a wading pool for the kids. When he saw Wash, he pretended he was going to squirt him with the hose. The kids laughed at him.

  
Wash wished he could play along, but he wasn’t in the mood. “You guys better make sure you don’t track water all through the house. I’m not cleaning it up.”

  
Chloe rolled her eyes. “I don’t want to play with this baby pool, I want a real one.”

  
Wash had been through this a hundred times with her. “Chloe, you know we don’t have enough room here for a large pool. And David is still little, this way he can play in the pool too without me having to worry. So let it go.”

  
She sulked about it, but she knew better than to argue with him. Tucker gave him a funny look as he went into the house. Something had to be wrong. Ever since Carolina officially moved out, Tucker had to deal with a lot of Wash’s problems.

  
“Ohkaay, something’s wrong.” He gave the hose to Chloe. “Here, finish filling this for me. Do not spray your brother. I’m coming right back, so you both behave…yeah right.”

  
He found Wash sitting at the kitchen table with his head in his hands. He sat down in the chair beside him. “So, is anything wrong?” Tucker was trying to be patient with him.

  
Wash sighed. “Yes and no. Emily proposed to Carolina and she accepted.”

  
“Wow, that’s great news. What’s so bad about it?”

  
“They hardly know each other, they’ve only been together a few months. I don’t think they’ve actually dated…now marriage?”

  
“There’s nothing wrong with that. They are totally in love. The doc is looney, but she’ll be good to Carolina. You’re not her father, you need to let her live her own life.”

  
Wash threw his hands down on the table. “I feel like I am. It’s like my duty to watch out for everyone. Carolina is as much my family as you and the kids. I’m a worrier, I can’t help it.”

  
“Well you had better, you’re going to end up driving yourself crazy.”

  
“Who am I kidding, she never wanted me anyway. I was always a ridiculous dork who followed her around like a puppy.”

  
Tucker felt his heart skip a beat. “Babe, do you still have the hots for your ex?”

  
Wash couldn’t look him in the face. He loved his husband so much. He knew how badly he was breaking Tucker’s heart.

  
Tucker exhaled slowly. “You know, I can make this easy for you. I’ll give you a divorce and take the kids. You can be free to go after Carolina if that’s who you want.”

  
“Oh come on, you know I don’t want a divorce. I love you and the kids more than anything in this world.”

  
Tucker knew it was the truth, but his feelings were still hurt. “You sure have a funny way of showing it.”

  
David chose that moment to barge his way into the kitchen. He was soaking wet and sloshing water all over the floor. He didn’t look very happy.

  
Wash had to laugh. “My goodness, what happened to you?”

  
David continued to pout. “Chloe sprayed me with the house.”

  
“Oh she did?” He tried to take David seriously, but it was hard.

  
Tucker groaned and called for Chloe. “Chloe Rae Tucker, what did you do? Why is your brother all wet?”

  
Chloe came in looking very guilty. “Sorry Daddy, but he was being such a brat.”

  
“Well, now he’s a very wet brat.” Tucker reached over to tickle David. It made him laugh off his bad mood.

  
Wash got up to help his young son. “Come on David, let’s get you all dried off.” He put his hands on his shoulders and led him into the bathroom to get a towel.

  
After David was changed into dry clothes, he looked up at Wash with a troubled look in his face. “I won’t lose both my Daddies, will I?” Tears welled up in his big, brown eyes and his lips trembled.

  
Wash knelt beside him and pulled him close. “Of course you won’t lose us. Why would you ask that?”

  
David squirmed. At first, he didn’t want to say it. “Cause Chloe said you and Daddy were having a fight. She said you were being stupid over Aunt Carolina, and you might leave us. Daddy, I don’t want you to go!” He started crying.

  
“No honey, trust me, I’m not going anywhere. I love your Daddy, I love you guys.”

  
“Really?” Tucker’s voice from the doorway startled Wash. He turned and saw Tucker and Chloe watching him. He never heard them come in.

  
“Yes, really.”

  
Chloe gave a relieved smile. “I heard Daddy say divorce, I hoped it wasn’t true.”

  
“It’s not. Chloe, can you take your brother outside and play with him without drowning him this time?” Wash didn’t have the heart to be angry with her.

  
“Sure Daddy.” She out her arm reassuringly around David. She was quick to tease him, but just as quick to protect him. “C’mon David, lets go finish filling the swimming pool. You can spray me with the hose this time.”

  
David hesitated, he still wasn’t sure. He looked at Wash again. “Go on honey, everything’s fine. I just need to talk to your Dad.” He finally left. Now, how the hell did he make this up to Tucker?

  
Tucker still looked injured. He let go of the deep breath he didn’t realize he was holding in. “You’ve got to let it go babe, you just scared the kids, not to mention me.”

  
“I know, it’s because we were the last if the original Freelancers, we had to stick together. Now, that’s all ending.”

  
“It doesn’t have to, she’s only a mile down the road. Now that she’ll have a wife and kid, she’ll stay in one place for a while. This is a good thing.”

  
Tucker did make sense. He had really grown from the smart assed slacker that he had started out as. “Since when did you get so smart?”

Wash flashed him his dorky little grin that he knew Tucker loved to see. It worked, Tucker’s insecurities melted away.

  
“Oh, I’m so glad you finally noticed.” He returned Wash’s smile.

  
Wash was almost afraid to ask, but he had to. “When you offered to give me a divorce, you weren’t being serious, were you?”

  
“Hell no, if you said yes, I don’t know what I would have done. I don’t know how I’d make it without you.”

  
Wash gave a relieved smile. “Thank goodness.”

  
He thought back to their impromptu wedding. He promised to cherish Tucker, and that’s exactly what he planned on doing.

  


 


	13. Chapter 13

 

 

"Emily, what are these wedding plans that Donut brought over? I thought it was just going be the two of us and Maddie in a private ceremony."

  
"Yeeahh, we could do that, but wouldn’t you rather have an actual wedding? Every girl wants to have a fairytale wedding and be a princess for one night." Her eyes looked dreamy as she said it.

  
Maddie looked up from her coloring book, she didn’t even know what they were talking about. "Yeah Momma, I can be a princess too!" She looked as excited as her Mom did.

  
"Of course you can sweetie, you’ll be the prettiest flower girl ever!"

  
Grey and Maddie both looked at Carolina, she looked guilty. "Well, I never wanted the fairytale wedding." She never actually thought she’d any kind of wedding. How could she see this coming?

  
"Why not Mommy?" Maddie had mastered the fine art of how to make Carolina feel guilty. She learned it from her Mother.

  
Ever since Carolina saved her from her night terrors and from going in the road, she had thought of her as her second mother. She was all excited for their wedding.

  
Carolina looked at her soon to be wife and daughter, how could she say no to those faces? She groaned and threw up her hands, she knew when she was beat.  
"Fine, you two win. But I am not dressing up for this wedding."

  
"Alrightee, that’s fair." The determined look in her eyes showed she would talk Carolina into it by the wedding.

  
Donut came barging in, wedding itinerary in hand, checking off tasks as he went down the list. "Okay, invitations are printed and ready to mail. Emily, do we still want to go with your original idea to have the kids in the wedding party?"

  
She nodded. "Yes, this has been such an uneventful summer for them, I want to make it fun. This way, Maddie can get involved and get used to having a new Mom." She put her around Maddie and Carolina and pulled them both close.

  
Carolina looked shocked. "You mean you two have been planning an actual wedding this whole time? Why is this the first time I’m hearing about it?"

  
Donut flinched, he didn’t want her to hit the messenger. "Because we were afraid that you would flip out, which you pretty much just did."

  
Carolina broke away from her fiancée. "Just great, have fun with your planning. I’m going to the gym." She pulled her gym bag out of the hall closet.

  
"Aww ‘C’, you don’t have to be mad." Grey looked worried about her.

  
"I’m not mad, I have to blow off some steam, there’s a difference." Since she didn’t have the heart to hit Grey, she was afraid she’d blow off steam on Donut’s face.

  
Grey got a funny look. “Are we having our first lover’s quarrel?”

  
Carolina thought about it. “Yeah, I guess we are.”

  
"Cool, we are officially a couple now.” She looked way too excited. “I love you ‘C’."

  
In spite of her bad mood, Carolina had to smile. "I love you too Emily." And she really meant it.

 

 

Carolina was so happy to see that the boxing area was empty. Pounding the punching bag was just what she needed to release some stress. She started pounding away, now that she wasn’t worried about training on a regular basis for work, she would have to make this a daily routine.

  
She heard someone in the weight room. She saw the back of a blond head. It couldn’t be Wash, what would be the odds? They hadn’t seen each other since he blew up at her that afternoon. She didn’t know what to expect from him.

  
Wash sensed movement behind him. He turned to find himself looking Carolina’s fiery green eyes. He heart lurched, he didn’t know what to say. He flashed her a little grin. He knew he looked like a dork, but he didn’t care.

  
“Being a little aggressive to that punching bag, aren’t you ‘Lina? Hopefully that’s not supposed to be my face.” He knew didn’t part on very good terms the last time they saw each other. He needed to know they were okay.

  
Carolina was relieved, she hated being mad at Wash. "Nah, I’m not that mad at you; yet. How you doing Wash?"

  
He was honest with her. "Better, I’m feeling a lot better. Tucker and I had a long talk over everything, so I’m good. I’m all ready to let this go, and enjoy your wedding… I think."

  
"That’s great." She made a face. "I wish I could say the same for me."

  
"Why? How come you’re up here pounding away on weights instead of at home planning your wedding with Emily?"

  
"So I’m not pounding away on Donut’s face for coming up with those damned wedding plans."

  
Wash smiled, at least she still sounded like Carolina. "Chloe’s all excited to dress up as a bride’s maid. David is even going to be the ring bearer."

  
"So everyone knows about this wedding except me?"

  
Wash looked guilty. Umm yeah… we were afraid you wouldn’t take it well."

  
"Yeah, I’ve been getting that a lot today, like no one can tell me anything. Now you know why I’m pounding away on the punching bag." She continued throwing perfect left hooks.

  
Wash took the bag beside her. "Bet I can beat you at throwing punches."

  
"Yeah right, even with me being out of practice I can still beat you, rookie."

  
“You’re on.”

  
It’s was like old times again.

 

 

The morning of the wedding finally came. Grey and Donut were going crazy with last minute details. Carolina was safely hidden away in the sanctuary of her bedroom trying to soothe away nerves that she didn’t know she had. She was shaking.

  
"Knock knock ‘Lina. I have a present for you." Donut carefully opened the door and approached her.

  
"What is it?" She didn’t think she wanted to know.

  
"In case you change your mind, here’s a wedding dress. I know you didn’t want it, but trust me, you’ll look great in it. I worked hard to find one that was totally you.” His eyes pleaded with her to cooperate.

  
She cringed as she looked at the large white box he set on her bed. "Thanks Donut, I’ll think about it."

  
He smiled, he was relieved he wasn’t getting slugged. "Good, you need to do this. Be girlie for once in your life, you’ll thank me for it." He ducked out the door before she could hit him for real.

  
Curiosity made her open the box. She pulled out a simple, silky, white wedding gown with a halter top. It looked harmless enough, but she doubted she would ever thank Donut for this.

She held it in front of her and looked in the mirror. She hated the way she’d look in it. Why was she doing this?

  
She thought of Emily, the happiness in her eyes every time she talked about her wedding, she really wanted this. She knew she owed it to her to at least try.

  
Carolina figured she could tolerate a few hours of hell for Emily. Seriously, how hard could it be…


	14. Chapter 14

 

Carolina was never so stressed out before. The wedding was almost starting, she had issues with her wedding dress, she couldn’t get her hair to curl, and it had been so long since she’d worn makeup, she couldn’t get it to look right. She had to break down and ask Donut for help.

  
Now her hair was way too curly and the makeup was too heavily applied. Her naturally pale skin had a darker foundation than she was used to. The eyeshadow was a bright turquoise. The color was fine for her work armor, but she didn’t want to wear it at her wedding. He applied so much mascara, she felt like she had raccoon eyes.

  
She wanted to hunt down Grey and tell her to cancel the wedding. They could elope like she wanted to in the first place. She kept fussing with her dress, she wasn’t comfortable in it.

  
At least Donut picked a simple style. He said it would show off her toned shoulders, she felt it showed off too much in general.

  
She had been very body conscious after her battle with cancer. She had only recently picked back up into her regular exercise schedule. She thought she looked too sickly and scrawny in this thin dress. She didn’t want the guys to know how weak she’d become.

  
She sat on her bed wanting to cry, but too worried about ruining her makeup job. She didn’t want to be seen by anyone. She had the courage to face impossible odds in any battle, but she didn’t have the courage to walk down the aisle.

  
Out of nowhere, Maddie pushed her bedroom door open. She was already dressed for the wedding. She was their flower girl. Her puffy, pink dress was almost as big as she was. Her long, blond, wavy hair was curled and pinned back with flowers and a plastic tiara. She had a basket with pink rose petals clutched tightly in her little hands.

  
“Look Mommy, I get to be a princess.”

Carolina should have known Maddie would be in to see her. She followed Carolina everywhere. Though it was annoying at times, Carolina secretly loved it.

  
“Aww, I see that. You’re the prettiest flower girl ever!” Even though she smiled, the sadness still showed in her eyes.

  
Maddie was very sensitive, she knew something was wrong. “What’s wrong Mommy? You look sad.” She tried to walk to her, but she tripped and fell because of her long dress.

  
Carolina went over to pick her up. “Whoops, I think your Mom overestimated how much dress you could handle.” She cuddled Maddie close to her. She felt a little better.

  
She looked up at Carolina. “You make a pretty princess too Mommy. You wanna wear my crown?” She tried to take it off, but Carolina stopped her.

  
“No, thank you honey. You can wear it.”

  
Donut knocked on the open door. “We need our flower girl down here.” He reached over to hold Maddie. “You may as well come down too ‘Lina, it’s almost showtime.”

  
Her heart rate sped up and despite the darker foundation, she still looked pale. It was like Donut could read her mind.

“Don’t worry, you look beautiful. Emily’s gonna love it.” Carolina just wasn’t so sure that she loved it.

  
She kept telling herself this was only a little backyard wedding at their new house. Only their closest friends were invited. All of the kids were having fun with the idea of being in the wedding.

  
Chloe and Mira were bridesmaids, Maddie was the flower girl. Dex and Jake were ushers, while David was the ring bearer. Wash was super paranoid that he would lose the wedding rings. Simmons and Tucker were snapping about a hundred snapshots of their kids.

  
It was Maddie’s turn to walk down the aisle. She had the rose petals ready to go, but she tripped and fell again. Mira went running to help her little friend.

Simmons cringed. “Mira, stay in place!” All he needed was to have his daughter mess up the wedding.

  
She took Maddie’s hand and helped steady her. “Okay Maddie, now throw your flowers.” With Mira’s help, she made it all the way down without falling again.

  
Grif whispered loudly to Mira. “Good job kiddo.” Mira beamed at him. Chloe helped guide the younger girls with standing in the right place as they waited for the brides.

  
Carolina watched safely from a distance. She had no idea how she was going to walk out of the doorway. She just couldn’t do it. She turned, she was planning to slip away before anyone noticed.

  
A strong pair of hands caught her from behind. Wash blocked her path. “Where do you think you’re going?” He sounded strict, but his eyes looked amused.

  
Carolina sighed, she was stuck. “Wash, just let me go, this is all a mistake. I can’t go out there looking like this.”

  
“Looking like what? You’re beautiful. Trust me, I wish this was a mistake and I could let you run away from it, but this isn’t. You two are meant for each other. You’re certainly not the easiest person to get along with, and she’s the only one on the planet who is crazy enough to terrify you…it’s meant to be.”

  
For the first time, she could laugh and relax. Wash had that calming effect on her. “I love Emily, but I don’t think I can do this.” Her eyes looked so scared.

  
Wash held out his hand. “May I have the honor of giving away the bride?”

  
She couldn’t help but take it. She felt proud to walk down the aisle with her best friend.

Grey was already in place, waiting on her. Her white, puffy wedding matched Maddie’s perfectly. A big smile lit up her whole face and tears were in her eyes as she watched Carolina come to her. Wash went and took his seat beside Tucker.

  
When the ceremony began, Maddie left her spot beside Mira and went to her mothers. She stood in between them and held both of their hands. Carolina held on tightly, she needed her support.

  
During the vows, Tucker reached over to hold Wash’s hand. Wash gave it an affectionate squeeze. He knew he made the right choice when he picked Tucker over Carolina.

  
When it was time to kiss the bride, Grey gave Carolina a long, passionate kiss. Tucker did the same for Wash. “Tucker, what was that for?”

  
“It’s been a while babe, I thought we should freshen up the old marriage vows. I figured we could use it.”

  
Carolina looked over at Wash and they exchanged knowing glances. They both got the fairytale ending for their lives.

It didn’t come through the way they planned it, but it came none the same.  


  


  
  



End file.
